Guidance Counselor Even the Most Lackadaisical Student Term Paper

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Guidance Counselor

Even the most lackadaisical student is familiar with the role of the high school guidance counselor. Even an individual whom never attended an American high school would be familiar with the common image of the high school guidance counselor today, in the American media, as viewed through the deflationary 1980's eye of many a John Hughes film such as "Pretty in Pink," or most particularly one scene from the 1990's popular independent hit classic "Clerks" that portrays a guidance counselor, driven mad because of the supposed uselessness of his occupation, in the process of inspecting eggs for breakage at a local convenience store, to allegedly give him a sense of purpose in life.

Yet, according to social science analysts Hackman and Oldham, one of the five core job characteristics are that of skill variety, and one of the difficulties faced by many high school guidance counselors is not that they have little to do, but too much to do. High school guidance counselors ideally advise students coming into the school system regarding their choice of classes, help sophomore and junior year students negotiate the treacherous academic and social waters of high school, identify problems when and if they should arise, and finally help senior year students enter appropriate academic and vocational tracks after the years of high school, within the college or vocational school systems.

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Guidance counselors are thus vocational and academic counselors and also social workers, frequently simultaneously. The reason for the common dislike of guidance counselors may not be that they 'do nothing,' but that their task identity is so unclear, and their function may vary depending upon the needs of the student and also the needs of the school. Also, students may project their own frustrations with teachers, fellow students, the college admissions process, and their own anxieties about growing up onto the counselor. (Osborn, 2004)

Depending on the nature of the school, the expected tasks of a guidance counselor on the part of parents as well as students may vary widely. Parents cannot be ignored as significant pressure points upon the emotional and social fabric of a school -- or a guidance counselor's sanity, for that matter. For instance, an urban school with a strong social support system for the student body in the form of highly involved community social workers might have little….....

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"Guidance Counselor Even The Most Lackadaisical Student" (2004, August 11) Retrieved June 5, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/guidance-counselor-even-most-lackadaisical-174011

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"Guidance Counselor Even The Most Lackadaisical Student" 11 August 2004. Web.5 June. 2026. <
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Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

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"Guidance Counselor Even The Most Lackadaisical Student", 11 August 2004, Accessed.5 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/guidance-counselor-even-most-lackadaisical-174011